Crit my proposed setup please. 12" Dob + Eye pieces

[noodlehat]

Hi all,

Thanks for this great forum with all its expertise. I've been trawling over it a while and am planning to shortly push the button on buying my first proper setup. Now its probably a bit over keen and I understand the general advice is not to spend too much before you've gotten a hand on everything but I feel this is a good setup that will stand test of time. 

See attached images, I'm on the side of Dartmoor in a little valley and planning to put an observatory platform around about the red dot in photo which is pretty much South Facing with slight hills to East and West. 

Im happy to spend around about the £1500 mark all in for mainly Visual observation and will be storing the Dob outside in a shed/ outbuilding a few meters from observing platform, hence i'm happy to go for a bigger Dob than perhaps normally recommended for beginners as not planning to take it anywhere and will likely build some sort of wheeled sledge. 

I've attached an equipment list, i'm planning on purchasing the StellaLyra 12" Dob with a couple of extras. My main question refers to eye pieces which I've shortlisted down and blue highlighted the possible additional purchases I've settled on following comments and previous posts I've read on this site.,

I guess the main question is which 10mm piece out of the options given I want a good planet EP, which as I understand would be a 10mm Ortho ( with/ without barlow). The cheaper recommenced BCO concerns me with eye relief/ design and ease of use vs the Vixen SLV with a very comfortable looking eye cap (or is the vixen not an ortho?) ! My understanding a smaller FOV is better for planets vs the 10mm Nirvana?

Finally whats the pros/ cons of these Ultra Flat Field lenses vs the ultrawide of the Nirvana?

Any advice greatly appreciated.  

 

[Mr Spock]

1 minute ago, noodlehat said:

My understanding a smaller FOV is better for planets vs the 10mm Nirvana?

Not quite. It isn't the FOV, it's the design. While my Nirvanas are excellent on planets and the moon - I could quite happily use just them - the orthos I have (with x2.5 Powermate) present just a little better rendition of faint shading. I have an EQ platform so tracking isn't a problem. I was looking at Mars last night with the SL 12" and 12.5mm Circle-T ortho and x2.5 Powermate to give x304 and it was spectacular despite Mars' small size.  I had the 7mm Nirvana on hand and that was showing good detail too. Sadly there's a gap between the 7mm and 4mm and x380 was too much for the conditions - I do wish they'd make something in between - a 5mm please! I find around x300 in the 12" very useful - it's at that ideal x1 per mm.

In practice I can't see any difference between my Nirvanas and SLVs. So much so the SLVs are currently seeing little use. The only advantage the SLVs have are those in between sizes.

On the whole, your choices are perfect. I know how much enjoyment I get out of my similar setup. You are in for a treat!

[bosun21]

The Vixen SLV isn’t an ortho eyepiece whereas the BCO is. What you gain with the smaller field of view orthos is a slight increase in image sharpness at the expense of your target zipping through the FOV at high magnification. The Nirvanas are no slouch when it comes to sharpness and with the wider 82 degrees your target will be in your FOV for longer requiring less nudging.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Regarding eye relief: I need to wear glasses while observing (due to cylindrical astigmatism), and require a minimum of 16 mm usable eye relief, I find. The Vixen SLVs are perfect in that respect, as are the (far more expensive) Pentax XWs, which give a larger FOV. If you don't need glasses, by all means use the cheaper short-eye-relief EPs. Note that a 12" Dobson is a fast scope, so it does put correction of eyepieces to the test.

[noodlehat]

Many thanks all, I think i'll just get the 10mm Nirvana instead then and try and keep it so my set takes as much advantage of the Parfocal Nivarnas as possible and save £50!  Cheers.

[noodlehat]

Hi @Mr Spock I just had a quick question about your 12 stelllalyra dob storage ive gleamed from a few of your other threads.  Do you store all in one piece and wheel it out or are you assembling it in bits carrying the EQ platform, mount and scope all out separately? I also wondered if you knew the rough total height of the dob when store vertically on the mount in the shed? Currently planning my outdoor storage shed structure, will be about 10m from viewing platform. 

Many thanks. 

[Franklin]

Your intended observing site looks the business and the views through a 12" reflector at a dark site like that will be awesome! I'm jealous🙂.

[bosun21]

1 hour ago, noodlehat said:

I also wondered if you knew the rough total height of the dob when store vertically on the mount

The 12” Stella Lyra dobsonian is approx 61” when vertical on its mount. I state approximately due to mine having longer rubber feet fitted to allow my sack trolley to slide under it. I also have a much thicker roller bearing fitted on the base. HTH.

[Mr Spock]

5 hours ago, noodlehat said:

I just had a quick question about your 12 stelllalyra dob storage ive gleamed from a few of your other threads.  Do you store all in one piece and wheel it out or are you assembling it in bits carrying the EQ platform, mount and scope all out separately? I also wondered if you knew the rough total height of the dob when store vertically on the mount in the shed? Currently planning my outdoor storage shed structure, will be about 10m from viewing platform. 

Mine is in two bits. I keep the base and tube separate. My shed has plenty of room for that. If it were stored assembled and moved out assembled, the tube would have to tilt quite a bit to come out of the shed.

I either lift the tube out, or frog-march it on the long feet I have attached, depending how my back feels. The tube has clearance on it's own but I have to be careful lifting it as it can catch on the top of the door frame if I'm a bit clumsy. The base I lift by the handle (I've been meaning to fit a couple more to make it easier to lift). The EQ platform is in two bits and if the roller is rubber like mine I wouldn't recommend storing a scope on it as the rubber will develop a flat side from the weight - unless you put something between to lift it off the roller in storage..

[Carbon Brush]

An awesome setup in a great location that you are planning.

May I suggest you take a look here?

https://www.astrotufftruk.com/productsandprices

If you have the scope assembled on a trolley it can be on site and ready in a minute or two.
The truck has jacking screws to level the base.
I had a look at their stuff at PAS last Saturday. It is very well made.
They are happy to customise to suit narrow doorways and the like.
You can of course make your own.
I have used old coffee tables or desk tops to transport a dob and thought about something better.

HTH, David.

 

 

[noodlehat]

19 hours ago, bosun21 said:

The 12” Stella Lyra dobsonian is approx 61” when vertical on its mount. I state approximately due to mine having longer rubber feet fitted to allow my sack trolley to slide under it. I also have a much thicker roller bearing fitted on the base. HTH.

perfect, many thanks. 

15 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

Mine is in two bits. I keep the base and tube separate. My shed has plenty of room for that. If it were stored assembled and moved out assembled, the tube would have to tilt quite a bit to come out of the shed.

I either lift the tube out, or frog-march it on the long feet I have attached, depending how my back feels. The tube has clearance on it's own but I have to be careful lifting it as it can catch on the top of the door frame if I'm a bit clumsy. The base I lift by the handle (I've been meaning to fit a couple more to make it easier to lift). The EQ platform is in two bits and if the roller is rubber like mine I wouldn't recommend storing a scope on it as the rubber will develop a flat side from the weight - unless you put something between to lift it off the roller in storage..

thanks, currently designing storage so good to know.  EQ platform on the list but maybe after got a handle on it and justify the extra cost!

7 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:

An awesome setup in a great location that you are planning.

May I suggest you take a look here?

https://www.astrotufftruk.com/productsandprices

If you have the scope assembled on a trolley it can be on site and ready in a minute or two.
The truck has jacking screws to level the base.
I had a look at their stuff at PAS last Saturday. It is very well made.
They are happy to customise to suit narrow doorways and the like.
You can of course make your own.
I have used old coffee tables or desk tops to transport a dob and thought about something better.

 

 

 

thanks, they look great but may have to be a purchase down the road a bit to justify to other half. 

 

In the meantime i've ordered my eyepieces so now i'll have to order the dob as well! 😂 helps avoid analysis paralysis. 

19 hours ago, Franklin said:

Your intended observing site looks the business and the views through a 12" reflector at a dark site like that will be awesome! I'm jealous🙂.

haha, thanks hopefully it will! looking into bortle zones/ dark sky and my light pollution levels I had thought initially it would be even better numbers but I guess i get some pollution from Plymouth/ Torbay area in the far distance. 

 

thanks all.

[noodlehat]

as an aside, lost a good half hour/ 45mins to the display your eyepieces cases thread at the weekend.... turns out this hobby is like catnip to those of us with ocd leaning tendencies! 

[Ratlet]

5 minutes ago, noodlehat said:

as an aside, lost a good half hour/ 45mins to the display your eyepieces cases thread at the weekend.... turns out this hobby is like catnip to those of us with ocd leaning tendencies! 

Indeed.  I spent hours debating over whether or not to join the pick and pluck proletariat or the shadowfoam society, Eyepiece vertical or horizontal...

If you're anywhere near bortle 4 you'll be laughing with a 12".  Oh what sights you will see!

[Franklin]

14 minutes ago, noodlehat said:

but I guess i get some pollution from Plymouth/ Torbay area in the far distance. 

 

I lived in the Torbay area for 15 years when the kids were little and we would go camping near Dartmoor, the skies were the darkest I've ever seen.

[noodlehat]

Stage 1. Eyepieces arrived 😁 in case:

https://www.cases-and-enclosures.co.uk/hard-cases-protective-storage/hurricane-equipment-cases/hurricane-waterproof-and-shockproof-case-green-l379xw258xh104mm

Also making a modified base for setting circle printed on foamex from here: https://www.printed.com/products/display-boards

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by noodlehat

[Ratlet]

How are you planning mounting the setting circle?

Be interested to see how the setting circle looks once it arrives.

I'm planning doing the same thing as yourself in the future.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Ratlet

[noodlehat]

5 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

How are you planning mounting the setting circle?

Be interested to see how the setting circle looks once it arrives.

I'm planning doing the same thing as yourself in the future.

yeah bit of a test really, the foamex is pretty cheap..ish. and thought would hold up to any moisture. Think its basically what estate agent signs are printed on?

I'm probably just gonna use some 10mm pins to fix to bottom board as I don't need it to rotate to align

I'm just planning to view from one spot on my deck, so my plan is to fix the circle, then using T nuts on the bottom board and my deck, have it align the bottom board automatically every time I place the mount on my deck and screw down 2 bolts into the sockets on the deck. Using the T nuts will hopefully means its exactly correct and I don't get any wiggle.... Bit of a suck it and see I guess. Possibly a bit convoluted but makes sense to me! 

 

 

[Ratlet]

I find when you try to explain these things it makes sense to you but nobody else 🤣.  I've got a non permanent installation so I'll need to do a bit more work to build mine.  Basically rebuild the ground board and top board.

Depending on how badly it goes cutting circles, I might try to build the supports.  Will need to see.

Edited March 17, 2023 by Ratlet